Countdown
by WoodwindDragon
Summary: It all starts with a dream... A mysterious figure, an ominous number, and the beginning of a terrifying metamorphosis...
1. Ten

It seemed like I knew something that no one else did. Not something like an obscure fact, or a dirty little secret- god knows how many of those I'm hiding… No, this was something… different. Hell, I wasn't even entirely sure what it was… Just an unnatural sense of dread, like something terrible was going to strange thing was I had no idea what that thing was… Looking back on the past few days, I can't think of anything that could've triggered this. Well, there was that one dream I had last night…

I've been having strange and often frightening dreams for years now. Dreams that exploited my fears, my regrets, my worries… but this was unlike anything I've ever seen before. At first it just looked like a statue of a woman. Her hair hung down to her knees, dress draped over her like she was wearing a bedsheet, and her eyes were closed in a peaceful expression.

I vividly remember a sudden, sharp pain in my chest, a flash of red light. I could see her wings. Six of them. Giant, looming, casting ominous shadows…

"Ten….."

I could hear my heart pounding... I had no idea who or what this statue was, or what the hell 'ten' meant, but it scared me. Scared me bad enough to wake me up at three in the morning, shaking. The strange thing about it was that, normally, I wouldn't be scared of a statue or a creepy voice, so why was this any different? I decided to write it off and go back to sleep; thankfully I didn't have to go into work until much later that morning.

"Are you feeling alright, Markus? You look terrible." Kanae was the first one to notice the effects of last night. Dark circles, unruly hair, an unshaven face… Not like I didn't look like that already. I guess last night just made it worse.

I took a long gulp of coffee, slightly regretting it the moment the entire inside of my mouth was burned. "Thanks," I muttered, slightly grumpy from the rough night. "Didn't get much sleep last night."

"Come on, Doctor. You've worked all-night shifts before with no breaks and you didn't look this bad. Something else is going on," she said, stepping closer to me. She seemed… genuinely concerned; talking to her wouldn't hurt anything, would it?

"It's nothing, really. I just need to lay off the horror movies for a while…" I chuckled. That was true at least. Of course, I've never seen anything like that thing in any movie, and not being a fan of many TV shows I didn't see anything like that either. Come to think of it, I can't even remember any real-life experiences that would've produced an image like that…

"Horror movies. Mmmhmm, sure…" Kanae said, obviously not believing me. "Whatever, I've got work to do." She left, probably to her office or to get briefed for an operation. I would have to check to see if I was scheduled to perform any surgeries today. I secretly hoped that I didn't, only because I didn't want the lack of sleep to negatively affect my skills. Well, that and a small part of me hoped that I would get a chance to take a nap during the day to make up for lost sleep…


	2. Nine

The dream came back. As much as I hoped, begged my mind that it wouldn't, I saw it again. Only it was different this time…

Yesterday was mostly uneventful- for a doctor, anyways. No unusual patients, no abnormal events, nothing out of the ordinary at Caduceus. But of course, that figure had to haunt my nightmares once again. It didn't frighten me as much this time, but it still sent a chill through my whole body, the same sharp pain… only worse..? Maybe it was just my imagination…

The differences were subtle, but I noticed. The statue was cracked, the arms outstretched to the sides. Something… glowed… within the cracks, like something was inside the statue, trying to break out…

I wanted to wake up, force myself to open my eyes and forget it. But something… wouldn't let me wake up… not yet…

"Nine…."

There was that voice again. I only recognized it from last night's dream. Only after the number was announced could I finally wake up. I wasn't anywhere near as terrified this time around, but still… it was unsettling… Going off of last night's dream, whoever was speaking seemed to be counting down, but to what?

I had the day off today, so I thought I would take up the opportunity to get some rest, catch up on paperwork (not really), or try to make some sense of what the hell I keep seeing at night.

I'll admit, I had never been a very religious person. No one in my family was, really. Never had anything against those who were religious, just… didn't see much in it. Despite my agnostic upbringing, I suppose it was safe to assume that the statue I kept seeing was some sort of angel. The six winged part confused me though; I'd have to do some research on that…

"Seraph…" I read aloud from my computer screen. The part about having six wings seemed to match, but that was about it when it came to similarities. Again, I'm certainly not one to talk when it comes to religion, but what I saw… It wasn't 'holy' by any means. Hell, I'd take nightmares about Stigma with welcome arms over seeing that damn thing again. There was also the matter of the countdown… Just what would happen to me when it reached zero? Best not to think about it; I already had enough on my mind as is.

I considered asking Val or Elena about this; after all, I had told them about the origins of Stigma… Surely a strange dream would seem tame in comparison to that. Then again, there was also the chance they would think that I had lost my mind… If either one of them asked, I might tell them. Or… well, there was someone I had met a while ago. I've been hearing some recent rumors of her that she can 'speak to the dead' or whatnot. I honestly doubt any of that is true, but it's worth a shot if I can find her damn phone number. I made a mental note to shave if I ended up meeting her in person, lest she call me a 'mangy mutt' again… Either way, Valerie would surely express her irritation with my half-assed facial hair.

"Either shave it off or grow it out, but don't just leave it like that," she'd say. It's been going on for so long now that it's become a bit of an inside joke between us. Hell, I might actually call her just to hear her voice, then see if I could muster up the will to ask her about the angel-like figure I keep seeing.

As if on cue, my phone started to ring. Although to my surprise it wasn't Valerie, but still a welcomed caller. I hadn't really talked to Elena in a while.

"Elena?" I answered, putting the phone on speaker.

There was a shuffling sound on the other end of the phone, "Ah, doctor! Sorry about that… Anyways, I called to see how you were doing. I know Kanae told me you looked like you didn't sleep well yesterday. Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. You?" A blatant lie. Just a reflexive answer whenever someone asked me that question. Now more than ever I wasn't fine, but I just immediately answered out of habit.

"I've been doing good. No issues with my pump, so that's good…" She always updated me on that, whether it was a checkup or not, and I was always relieved to hear that she was doing okay. Elena… she was like the little sister that I never had. I do technically have a sister, except neither of us is 'older' per se. At least not by a significant amount.

"Good, glad to hear you're not having any issues with it. Anyway…" I might as well spill it. Even just talking about it might make me feel a little better. "I haven't been sleeping very well lately. Okay, scratch that, my sleep is getting worse than it normally is…"

"Haven't been sleeping well…?" she asked, worried.

I exhaled, closing my eyes, "Yeah… been having this really weird recurring dream…" I ended up telling her a lot more than I originally intended.

"A statue of a woman with six wings… and counting down to something..? Sounds weird…"

"Yeah, I've never seen anything like that before, so I don't know where it came from. Sounds kind of silly in comparison to what we've been through, but it's been bothering me…" at least I was being honest with her. I don't know why something as insignificant as a dream bothered me, but it did.

"Well… I'm not really an expert on dreams or anything, and I'm not sure what to tell you… Sorry."

I looked down, "It's alright, Elena. Thanks for at least listening…"

It was a little while after I had hung up the call when I found her number. I hadn't spoken to her in years; would she even recognize my voice? It was worth a shot, especially if she had any experience in the paranormal… I took a deep breath and dialed the number…


	3. Eight

"Eight…."

There it was again. That same dream, the same statue, pieces crumbling away and revealing the hollow interior. Now I could see there was something inside… Pale skin and dark cloth trapped beneath the stone. Who or what was inside was slowly starting to break its way out…

A piece of stone fell away from part of the face, exposing a small portion of this mysterious creature's face. The eyelid quickly snapped open, a red eye staring straight at me.

I decided to at least try and get some answers right from the source of this nightmare. "Who are you?" I called out, my voice… oddly faint.

There was a low but very loud chuckle echoing through wherever this dream world is. I instinctively covered my ears, but still, I could hear one thing:

"You'll know soon enough…"

Vagueness and creepiness aside, I had to wake up before I went completely deaf from the noise. Sitting up, I rubbed my eyes, noticing the ringing in my ears. My heart was still racing as the ringing very slowly subsided. As long as I was up, I might as well try to meditate to calm my nerves…

I kneeled down on the floor, placing my hands on my knees and closing my eyes. "Remain centered…" I repeated that same mantra… "Breathe… focus…." Already I felt much more at ease… "If my sin cannot be atoned in this hour…" Wait… what did I just say? I don't ever remember that phrase being part of this little ritual… It almost felt like- no, that was impossible.

"Then stop the beating of my heart!"

"No, no, no!" I jumped to my feet, shaking my head; was that… my voice? It sounded like it, but at the same time it was different. "What… what the fuck was that..!?" I… I thought back to the first unfamiliar phrase I said: "If my sin cannot be atoned in this hour…" My sin… could I have meant… Stigma? It would certainly make sense if that's what I was talking about, but I had never said either of those sentences before, let alone during meditation.

"Why the hell hasn't she answered my calls…" I muttered, looking towards my phone on the nightstand. "I need to get a clear answer before I completely lose it…"

If meditation didn't help, maybe an icy shower would help clear my head. Besides, I was starting to smell a little ripe anyways… and I needed to shave before I grew an actual beard.

Maybe it was because I was dazed and sleep-deprived, but I didn't notice anything odd about my bathroom until after I stepped into the shower. That's when I saw- well, felt- something wrong.

"Ow, damn it…" I hissed, jerking the bar of soap away from me. "..what the…?" I could see something shiny poking out of it, so I scraped away some of the soap with my fingernail, uncovering… a razor blade?! In shock, I dropped it, not really knowing what else to do with a bar of soap with a fucking razor blade stuffed inside of it. Of course, I was bleeding. Perfect. Thankfully it wasn't too deep or too long, so that was one semi-good thing about tonight. Then again, who managed to put the razor in there in the first place?! I live alone, rarely have company over, and don't have any pets other than some small fish, so that left… pretty much no one other than myself who could've put it there, but why would I do something like that? I don't remember it, but then again I also don't remember ever seeing that creepy figure in my dreams either.

After I dried myself off and put my shorts back on, I grabbed some cotton and a bottle of peroxide to clean the cut off, then went back into the bathroom to use the mirror while I treated myself.

My reflection seemed… off. Well, aside from the obvious gash on my collarbone, something just seemed different. Again, it could've just been a side effect of being tired, but I swore my appearance had changed somehow… and not in a good way.

Naturally, being as sleep-deprived as I was, I didn't exactly look like the handsome devil I normally was. Well, that may be a bit of an exaggeration… Now I had to put my finger on just what was different about me… I had always hated those 'spot the difference' puzzles; I'm more of a picross kinda guy.

That's when I found it: my eyes were red, and in more ways than one… Aside from being bloodshot, I could see a very subtle change in the color or my irises. Instead of dull, dark brown, they were red. Thankfully a very dark shade of red, like wine or- as stereotypical as it was to describe them that way- blood. Something was wrong. I had only heard of one other person whose eyes had changed color to red (from brown, coincidentally), and he ended up trying to stab someone before nearly dying from a strange respiratory infection...

Then again he also had that 'artificial healing touch' from one of the main perpetrators of the Neo-GUILT disaster. That's probably why.

Considering the only time that I had encountered GUILT was a simulation at Caduceus over a year ago, the chances of that being the reason were slim to nothing. Still, I had a slight nagging feeling that the recurring dream had something to do with this. Okay, scratch that. It did have everything to do with this. Well, probably, anyways. The red eyes, sayings about sin and death, putting a razor blade in my goddamn soap?! I needed real answers, fast. But the most troubling one of all…. What would happen when the countdown reached zero? Sleep be damned, I was gonna find her myself if she wouldn't answer my calls…


	4. Seven

"What do you mean 'she's not here?' I've been trying to get ahold of her for the past two days!"

"Sir, Doctor Kimishima is extremely busy at the moment, if you would just be patient-"

I sighed in agitation, "Did you not hear me when I said I've been trying to contact her for two days now? It's a desperate matter. Look, just let me into her office. It'll take ten minutes, fifteen at the most. She can't be so damn busy that she can't take a ten minute break." I'll admit, I… wasn't exactly feeling like myself. I sure as hell wasn't acting like myself either. Normally, I wouldn't let myself get so outwardly irritated towards someone; I preferred a sarcastic, passive-aggressive approach. Maybe it was the fact that I've been getting even less sleep than usual, or… I thought back to seeing my eyes in the mirror. A dark shade of red… Or was I just seeing things? I hoped that was the case.

Music to my ears, I heard her voice, "What the hell are you arguing about out here? I could hear you from down the hall." Naomi looked a lot different than the last time I had met her. Her eyes were blue, she had her hair pulled back, and she looked… a lot paler. Like she was sick or something… Come to think of it, Derek _did_ see her regarding her 'condition.' He also said that she had less than a year to live, but that was more than two years ago. Apparently some unknown surgeon saved her life that day. He didn't even need to use the Healing Touch, if he had it.

"Vaughn? Is that you?" she said, starting to recognize me. I haven't changed much, really. Well, up until recently that is. "Before you say anything, I'd like to know why you left 73 voice messages on my cell phone, about half of which sounded like you were drunk when you sent them…"

"Look, I can explain everything in private. I'm having a bit of an issue and I need your expertise, Kimishima."

The minute she closed the door to her office, she looked me up and down and said, "I think I know what your issue is: you've been bitten by a werewolf. That would explain your… appearance."

I rolled my eyes, "Ha-ha, very funny, Kimishima. Now, here's what's been going on…"

I told her everything. The recurring dream, the angel-like figure, the counting down, the pains before I woke up, and… the odd things that had been happening. Saying things that I had never even really thought about before, finding a razor blade in my soap, and my eyes changing colors.

"I thought something seemed off about you, other than the fact that you look like you haven't bathed in a week. Let's see… you said she was counting down to… something… and I don't think either of us know what that thing is… Along with strange speech…?"

"Yeah, it was definitely my voice, but… it wasn't 'me' talking. Like someone else was controlling my voice, or something…" If she didn't think I was completely nuts by now I'd be pretty surprised.

"And you found a razor blade in a bar of soap?" She raised an eyebrow, obviously incredulous. Yep, she thought I had lost it.

I shrugged, "No idea how it got there, unless I was somehow sleepwalking and just… put it there. That's pretty unlikely though, considering I've never sleepwalked in my life."

"Well, you said you felt like you were 'under control' during one of your meditation sessions, correct?" I was about to answer when her phone went off. It didn't ring, just buzzed in her hand. Again, this might've been me seeing things, but I swore I saw some kind of… aura… coming from her phone.

She flipped her phone open (who has a flip-phone nowadays anyway?) and held it up to her ear, closing her eyes.

"...'let me speak to him'….? Strange last words…" Was this her 'speaking to the dead' I've been hearing about? Definitely strange, but then again this was coming from someone who was a (presumably former) Healing Touch user.

"Huh?" she jerked the phone away from her for a moment. "I've never gotten… a response from one of these calls before… and, come to think of it, I only receive these messages when I'm near the voice's corpse…"

I could hear… whoever was on the other end of the line… shouting through the phone, "I _know_ he's in there with you, Nozomi Weaver! Did you not hear me before?! I said, _let me speak to him!_ Don't you _fucking dare_ to ignore me…!"

Dr. Kimishima looked at me, confused and… scared? That was a sight to see… "You're the only person in the room besides me… I think she wants to talk to you, Vaughn. Although… this is very strange… I've never had a spirit respond to me before… and I've never heard one this… angry…"

" _The phone! Give him the phone!"_ the 'spirit' on the other end shouted. Did I recognize that voice….? No… It couldn't be… _her…_

She hesitantly handed me the phone, which I held up to my ear… "Who is this and why do you want to talk to me?"

There was a low chuckle on the other end of the line, one that made me shudder. "You've forgotten so soon, Markus Vaughn? We've met several times before… Of course, you don't really know anything about me, but I know _everything_ about you…"

It _was_ her after all… Instinctively, I gritted my teeth, "So, you're the one who keeps showing up in my dreams, huh?"

"You're absolutely right, Markus Vaughn… however, I'm in a good mood today, so-"

"So you'll leave me alone tonight so I can get some sleep?"

" _DO NOT INTERRUPT ME!"_ she roared, loud enough to nearly deafen me even through the phone. "Anyway… I'm afraid I can't do that… but I _will_ answer some questions for you…" Finally, I could get some answers on why she was doing this… "But… they have to be _my_ questions. I can tell you my name, my age, how I know you, and why I've chosen you in particular…"

Well, at least her questions wouldn't give me completely useless information… "First off, tell me how you know who I am."

"I have eyes in the past… like little moons… they can see anything… but I must tell them where to look first…" Well, so much for a clear answer. Maybe her other questions would yield something a bit more obvious.

"Alright, now tell me why… me?"

She giggled; creepy. "Your very existence…" she said sweetly, "...it _sickens_ me… _disgusts_ me to my very _core…"_

"Okay, so why does my being disgust you so much?" I asked, hoping she'd provide some more information.

There was a happy-sounding sigh on the other end. "I thought I said only my questions… If you think about it, you might figure out why I despise you so…" She couldn't mean…. Could she?

"Fine, please tell me you're going to give me a clear answer for your name and how old you are…"

A low chuckle, followed by a brief pause, "I am much, much, _much_ older than you are… Even if I appear to be otherwise… My birth far predates human civilization, perhaps even humanity itself! I've lost track, really…"

"And your name? Please, just give me a straight answer for your name, that's all I ask…" I was getting annoyed very quickly, but it's probably a good idea to bite my tongue for now… I don't want her to scream at me like that again…

"My name..? Fufufufu…." she laughed again. "I suppose I'll give you a straight answer… It's Sariel. Just Sariel…" She went silent after that.

"That was pretty fucking weird…." I muttered to myself, starting to put the phone down.

"I'm not done talking to you, Markus Vaughn. If you hang up now there will be absolute _hell_ to pay…" What did she want from me now? I listened to… whatever she had to say to me, praying that this would be the last I heard from her until much, much later.

"You made a mistake telling Nozomi Weaver-"

"Her name's Naomi. Naomi Kimishima. I don't know where the hell you got Nozomi Weaver from-" Idiot that I was, I interrupted her again. Only this time, thankfully, she didn't yell.

"You two have much more in common than you think, Markus Vaughn," she giggled in that sick, honeyed voice of hers. "Anyway… you made a mistake… a _big_ one… coming to her like that… I don't want it to happen again, and I don't think you do either… I'll be much more… _aggressive_ next time you do something like this…"

"Is that it?" I asked, my voice starting to tremble.

There were a few moments of silence on the other end, and then… a low chuckle, a giggle, a laugh, a high-pitched cackle. "Consider this a _warning,_ Markus Vaughn…" she said darkly.

" _Seven..."_

Pain. Searing, sharp pain. My vision went completely white, my ears were deaf to everything but a faint ringing sound, a complete disconnect from my body, and then...


	5. Six

I'm not entirely sure what happened after I passed out, but it's probably safe to assume it wasn't a good thing since I woke up in the back of an ambulance, completely unable to move. Well, I could at least blink. As for the rest of my body? Well, I couldn't exactly feel anything, let alone move it. Not sure if that was leftover from earlier or the result of drugs, but at least the pain was gone.

"Is he awake?"

"Well, his eyes are open…"

"Doesn't mean he's responsive. Here.. Hey, sir, can you hear us? Blink twice if you can hear me."

I blinked twice, although I couldn't do anything else. In fact, I couldn't even hear them all that well. Everything sounded like I was underwater; muffled, distorted… Come to think of it, everything looked like I was underwater, too. Blurry enough that I couldn't make out details, but just clear enough I could see vague shapes and colors. I couldn't tell who was above me, and even if I could see clearer I doubt I'd recognize them anyway. I could tell that there were at least two people standing over me, from the voices I heard and what I could see.

I might as well have been asleep during the whole thing, because it all felt like a dream… I was sure I was in a hospital, just not entirely sure which one. I was only familiar with Caduceus as far as hospitals in Portland went.

Speaking of being asleep… I must've nodded off at some point, since I woke up in a bed, thankfully able to move now. My first instinct was to find a mirror; if I hadn't been seeing things, and my eyes really did start to turn red that night… maybe something else about me has changed…

I nearly passed out from shock. I didn't even recognize myself anymore… My eyes were completely red now, my hair silver, like Naomi's. My skin was unnaturally pale, again, like Naomi. Only difference was, at least Naomi had some color in her face. My reflection… it almost looked like I was… a goddamn corpse!

"Don't be surprised if you start to look more and more like me. After all, we're both in the process of… well, a rather strange metamorphosis."

I knew that voice… I had grown to hate it now… Sariel…

"What the hell happened to me…?!" I hissed, looking around the room for the source of her voice.

"Turn around," she whispered into my ear. Startled, I couldn't help but jump to face her. Well, in person she wasn't anywhere near as creepy as she was in my dreams. She was just… a dark purple-and-blue ball of what looked like mist, with a rapidly spinning core.

Looks a lot like a Pempti core… only a hell of a lot more irritating… I thought. "What do you mean by 'metamorphosis?'"

"It's hard to explain to a mortal… especially one so… young…" I really wanted to take that as a compliment, but how was thirty-four years young for someone? Well, Sariel also claimed she was 'older than humanity itself' or something like that…

"I should be going, I don't really have time to talk right now," she said coldly.

I shook my head, still trying to process the fact that who- or what- Sariel was was… standing right in front of me. "Hold on. You're going to answer one of my questions now. Just how the hell are you standing- er, floating here talking to me? Whenever I've seen you before, you're trapped in that… statue, and you actually look like a human instead of this…" I waved my hands at the cloud of gas (or whatever it was) that was Sariel.

"You've seen my physical form, Markus Vaughn. My form that can be damaged, destroyed, remade… you were witnessing the process of my body being, for lack of a better term, reincarnated."

"So what the hell am I looking at now?"

"My spirit, my essence, my own consciousness… Unfortunately, it's very unstable without a body to keep it bound… We can talk more later. I must leave, now."

I didn't even get a chance to respond to her before she disappeared. As much as I didn't want to see her ever again, I felt like I had to, even if it was just to get some answers… I'd go to sleep early. Not like I was able to do much else besides read my own charts, watch some insipid daytime TV, or… well, sleep. I'd find out what the doctors here think happened to me when I passed out in Naomi's office, then get some much-needed rest.

"Six…"

There was Sariel's voice again. The statue her body was bound in had crumbled away, now just rubble on the ground.

The countdown hasn't even reached five yet and she's out of the stone?! I thought, panicked. Where was she…?

"I brought something you might like to see," she said from behind me. She looked… a lot different than I thought she would. I actually couldn't help but snicker at her.

"What are you laughing about?" she frowned. "Stop laughing, Markus Vaughn." Despite knowing full well that Sariel was much more powerful than me, I couldn't help but find being scolded by someone like her… funny!

I finally managed to get over myself. "You're a lot… shorter than I expected you to be," I told her.

Sariel pouted, crossing her arms, "Well, since my core was damaged the last time I was defeated in battle, I couldn't focus all of my energy into building myself a grand, magnificent body like I used to have…"

"You said that you had… something I might like to see?" I remembered.

Sariel looked behind her. "Yes. Do you remember when I told you that I had little moons that were like my eyes into the past? I brought one here for you to see…"

She held out a pearl-like object the size of a beach ball. "I don't see anything…"

"Look closer, Markus Vaughn… it's in there… don't you remember? This is something from your life…"

I did.

I looked closer.

I saw what she saw.

I wish I hadn't.


	6. Five

Sariel's face was twisted with disgust and anger. "Now do you see, Markus Vaughn?! Now do you understand?!" She clenched her fists, looking down, "Do you see now _why_ I hate you so much?!"

"What you showed me… the…" I had to muster up the courage to say it aloud, "the birth of Stigma… That's why you hate me..?! Stigma… yes, I'm the one who created it, but it was an accident-"

"An accidental murder is still murder! You just don't _get it,_ do you? Because of you, because of your _mistakes…_ people _died…_ They _died_ from Stigma… from _your hands!"_

"No… that's not… not… true…" I was completely taken aback. There was a time when I thought like that… it was shortly after that day… when that tumor… it… changed… I remember that day…

I wanted to disappear…

I wanted it to be a dream…

 _I wanted to die…_

If it weren't for my twin sister sending me some stupid (yet at the time, quite entertaining) picture of a model skeleton dressed up like Abraham Lincoln, I would never have even been around to stop Stigma... It's funny how things as seemingly insignificant as that can have such an impact, even- quite literally in my case- save someone's life.

I laughed at it. I laughed at it until I cried. From sadness or from laughing so hard, I'm still not sure. I texted her back, "Thank you. You don't know how much I needed this right now."

To this day, she still doesn't know. No one else does…

That night, I made a promise to myself, and to everyone I care about, and it's one I intend on keeping.

I can't let myself fall back into that sort of thinking, not now. Especially not now. Sariel… I didn't know too much about her, but I could guess she was the kind of person- or not person- who got off on other people's misery and suffering. And not in a kinky way. The way where you try to ruin just about every aspect of a person's life until you can't take it anymore.

I wouldn't break the promise I made. Not now, not ever.

I took a deep breath, "You know what? Yes, I _am_ guilty for Stigma's creation, accidental or not."

"That's not the reason I hate you," Sariel said through her teeth. "You never faced a second of justice for what you had done. You ran away like the _coward you are!_ "

I knew damn well I couldn't let her get to me, but… she was right. After the creation of Stigma, I fled to Alaska, hoping I could just escape it all. But… I couldn't. It came back to haunt me, and then subsequently bite me in the ass. In the end, it was eradicated, but the damage had been done. I couldn't erase my past sins, but I could do whatever I could to atone for them. Just like _she_ did.

"Justice aside, why _me?_ I mean, honestly, what are you trying to accomplish here? If you wanted to kill me you could've just done it already-"

Sariel snorted laughing, "Do you _honestly_ think I would waste so much of my limited energy just to kill off one insignificant human?! I have bigger plans for you, Markus Vaughn. Remember what I said about a 'metamorphosis?'"

I did remember that, back when I was talking with Sariel (or at least her spirit form) in the hospital bathroom.

"The vessel," she motioned to her childlike body, "isn't strong enough to withstand crossing the border between your world and mine. Even once it's fully formed, I don't want to take any risks of it breaking again. That's where you come in, Markus Vaughn."

Was she really suggesting….? "You're basically _stealing_ my body then?"

"Well, not stealing. More like sharing a physical being."

"But what for?! _Why_ do you need to come to this world in the first place?!"

Sariel narrowed her eyes, "Don't use that tone of voice with me. You really should respect your elders, Markus Vaughn." I was about to tell her that, physically, I was the adult here. Then I remembered that she was hundreds of thousands of years older than I was, and I bit my tongue.

"Anyway, you don't need to know my reasons. Just know that you- or at least your body- will be involved in something bigger than you could imagine… Larger than life… In only _five_ more nights..."

"Are you at least going to tell me what this 'larger than life' thing is?" I snapped, growing extremely impatient with her. I was pushing it at this point.

Sariel stopped cold in her tracks, standing dead still. "I will tell you this, Markus Vaughn… I cannot promise that you will live through this encounter, once all is said and done…" Did I… hear that right..? "In fact, it's far more likely that you- in every sense of the word- will cease to exist-"

I had to interrupt, "Just what the fuck do you mean?! 'Every sense of the word,' what are you talking about?!"

Sariel turned around calmly, clasping her hands behind her back. "Even with my immortal spirit within you, your body is still human. It can be worn out, beaten, broken, _destroyed…_ Well, as for the other forms of 'you…' Your mind… Yes, your consciousness, all of your memories, emotions, personality, your very _core…_ That may shatter in the process as well."

"So what you're implying is that if I 'die' during whatever your planning…"

"It will be like you never existed in the first place. Others will have their memories of you, your impacts will remain, but as for you? Gone. In an instant. Forever."

I had to admit, that was… a terrifying thought. Even though I had never been strongly religious growing up, I had never truly thought that death was the end. Is there an afterlife? Do our souls reincarnate into new bodies? I had never believed in anything definite, but I was fairly sure that death wasn't the very end of existence.

However… the thought of that… complete of a death… not even a soul left…? That terrified me. I didn't know what that sort of thing would be like, and I sure as hell didn't want to find out…

"So… this 'larger than life' thing you're talking about… what all does it involve?"

Sariel tilted her head, "Well… I'll leave you with this… Should you survive everything... Everyone- if anyone is left- will _fear_ you…"

" _Bow_ to you…"

" _Beg_ for mercy…" "

" _Worship you as a God…"_


	7. Four

I was starting to piece together my role in this whole thing, and what Sariel was planning to do…. Destruction. On a mass scale. Using me to carry it out. If I died in the process, I'd just be collateral damage.

After my rather… sudden physical changes, I couldn't bring myself to face my colleagues. And besides, with Sariel slowly taking control of my body, I didn't want to risk being used to harm anyone… But in five- no, four- more nights, none of it would matter. There was no way in hell I could stop a fallen angel. I've never used the healing touch outside of a surgical setting or mindset, and even if it didn't fail me, it wouldn't give me much of an advantage.

I couldn't think straight. My back and shoulders were killing me. I was scared; I couldn't do anything to stop this…

But I could feel something at the back of my mind. The suggestion of an idea on how I could stop Sariel from destroying it all. But, like an itch you can't scratch, I couldn't reach it. My head was too fogged to concentrate. I would take a brief nap, just to clear things up a bit. Then I'd write it all down, so I wouldn't forget…

Flopping down on my bed, I tried to focus on falling asleep…

For the first time since that first nightmare… I dreamed.

I was flying through the air, but I didn't have control over myself. Looking around was the extent of what I could do in this state, but I'd take it.

Then… Something strange happened: I started to _feel._ The air was thin and nearly freezing, the wind harshly strong. Looking down below, I grew nauseous thinking about how high up in the air I was. Strangely, I was still somehow managing to stay aloft in the storm. The pain from before hit me with a vengeance; it was all I could do to keep from blacking out- wait a second… Oh no…

 _This isn't a dream!_

I panicked. This was all _real…!_ The lack of air at this altitude was making me weak, yet somehow I was still up in the air, but how?! Slowly, I looked to my side…

Feathers. An impossible amount of feathers. So white it almost hurt my eyes to look at them. Connecting that with my back pain… Did I…

Did I sprout _wings…?_

" _Markus Vaughn, let me take control here. It's too dangerous for you to be fully aware in this situation."_ my mouth moved of its own accord, my voice… altered, somehow. It had that bitter, hissing tone of Sariel…

"Just why the hell did you think it was a good idea to _fly_ me in the middle of a storm?! I can hardly stomach planes to begin with!" I snapped back at her. Would she hear me? Technically we were 'sharing' a body.

" _Not now, you imbecile! Let me take back control before you crash into the ocean!"_ Couldn't really argue with her there. Having these extra limbs coming off of me felt… Unnatural. I had no idea how to control them. Sariel probably had her wings for as long as she's been around; best to let an expert pilot me through this.

We finally landed on a quiet, untouched stretch of coastline. My legs felt weak from being up in the air for so long; so weak that as soon as my feet hit the ground I toppled over and face planted into the sand.

Spitting out sand, I could hear myself mutter, " _Pathetic creature… I almost pity you…"_

"Alright, now that we're not in the middle of a thunderstorm several _miles_ above the ocean, what the hell were you doing?!"

I looked down, " _I hadn't really had much of a chance to exercise my wings. Between being in hibernation for so long to having my spirit torn between two worlds, I couldn't fly. Besides, the weather here on Earth… I love it."_

"So you like the rain? The thunder and lightning? That I could understand, but _flying_ through it?"

My gaze shifted upwards to the darkened sky, " _it's a challenge, navigating such obstacles. But the stimulation I get from it… Icy-cold air, pouring rain, the booming claps of thunder and bright cracks of lightning… It's beautiful, experiencing that all at once."_

I rolled my eyes, "Whatever, would've been nice if you'd have given me a warning first." Looking down at my bare feet in the sand, I got a bit… curious. I wanted to test something.

" _What are you doing? Hey! Cut that out!"_

I had waded into the water so it just came up past my ankles. Part of me, the _actual_ me, loved the feeling of wet sand and crisp ocean water; reminded me of when I used to live in California.

But the other 'part' of me, Sariel, was reacting a lot more… erratically to the water.

"What's the matter?" I teased gently, splashing a little bit, "I thought you said you liked the water."

" _I like_ rain, _you simpleton! Larger bodies of water… It's… It's not good for my wings. I don't want to risk getting them wet."_ Sariel hissed, trying to jerk away.

I chuckled, "Your wings? I'm sure they'll be fine if I take a little swim-"

" _Absolutely not!"_ Sariel snapped. " _Those wings are a_ physical _part of you now. If you try swimming and the wings get soaked, they'll become so heavy that you won't be able to even stay afloat! Let alone fly away…"_

I… Actually hadn't thought about that. I know some birds had a special oil on their feathers that let them get wet, but… Well, Sariel's wings weren't exactly what you'd see on the average duck. And with six of them, that would be a recipe for disaster… Best not to swim until these wings went away, if they ever did.

That's when the realization hit me that all of the changes to me might be permanent. Of course, if Sariel was going to use me to basically blow up everything, I doubt it would matter. But what about after the fact?

"Hey, Sariel, quick question. After your big 'plan' is all said and done-"

"I" cut myself off, " _I will have no further use for you. By then I'll have enough energy to restore my physical form as powerful as it was in its prime."_

"So does that mean you'll get out of my body?"

" _Again, I see no reason to remain in such an… awkward specimen any longer than I have to. But you'll always have a part of my being with you, Markus Vaughn."_

" _Now, until the moment you die…"_

A part of her being… Always with me?! So I guess these changes were permanent after all. Just fucking great; even if I did live through this I would never be the same person- if I even _was_ fully human anymore. I would have a hell of a lot of explaining to do to a lot of people, not to mention figuring out how the hell these damn wings worked.

 _A part of my being…_ that was what really scared me. As long as I had even the tiniest, residual fragment of Sariel in me, I ran the risk of turning on the people I swore to protect. My family, my friends, my colleagues, my patients… Everyone. Part of me didn't want to take that risk, but at the same time I couldn't run away from it all. _Not again…_

I just realized that it was cold as hell outside and my wet clothes didn't help. "Alright, I've had enough of the crap weather; fly me back home, Sariel."

" _Alright, but I don't want to take any risks this time. Hold your breath for a second."_

"Wait, what are you-"

" _Four…."_

Once again, my body was effectively a ragdoll for this demonic, sadistic angel to control completely. At least the pain was gone now.


	8. Three

My phone had metaphorically blown up while I was gone (not sure how long, but apparently long enough for people to worry). Most of them were from work, with more than a few being from Val, and the occasional wrong number or random business offer. I was about to go through all of them when, you guessed it, I got _another_ call.

"Whoever this is, I've been more than a little busy these past few days and answering my phone was the absolute _last_ thing on my mind…"

"Alright, Markus." Val. Of course she was checking to make sure I was still alive. "What the hell is so important that you basically dropped off the face of the earth for a few days?"

I sighed, rubbing the bridge of my nose; explaining all this would take a while… Would Val even believe me in the first place? I mean… I did tell Elena about it, but that was back when this all started.

"Look, did Elena tell you what I told her when she called me? About the weird nightmares?"

"Yeah, and I honestly thought you had watched too much Doctor Who or something. I mean, who dreams of stone angels and it freaks them out?"

I grunted, sitting down, "First off, I've never seen the show and I have no interest in it. Second… well, I've uh… 'changed,' to put it lightly."

I heard something drop on the other end, "Changed..?! Oh my god, Markus, what the hell did you do?!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. _I_ didn't do anything. Something _else_ kinda screwed around with me and- let's just say you probably wouldn't be able to recognize me now…"

"So you look different…?" She sounded worried, but at the same time… scared? That was unusual for her…

"Um, yeah. Look, I'm gonna be blunt with you, Val; my eyes turned red, my hair's white, and my skin basically looks like I've been dead for a while. Oh, did I mention-" I was about to tell her about the wings, but something stopped me.

"Markus Vaughn, who are you talking to?" Sariel interrupted me, but she wasn't speaking through me… Somehow, Sariel managed to project her own voice to sound like she was in the room (and not 'part' of me).

"I'm talking to my partner at work. This doesn't concern you, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't interrupt me."

Valerie paused for a second before answering, "Who was that…?"

I looked around for any sign of Sariel, where her voice was coming from… nothing. "Ah, I kinda have a 'guest' staying with me right now. Just showed up about a week ago, completely out of the blue. No idea who she is, but I have a feeling she's gonna be staying with me for… a _while…."_ My voice was wavering; Sariel _knew_ I was talking about this secret to someone else, and I feared she would render me unconscious like when I spoke to Naomi about this… Still, I think I managed to explain the situation to Val clearly enough so that she knew I was in danger, yet subtle enough to hopefully keep Sariel from going violent on me again.

Not even ten minutes after I hung up, I heard Valerie knocking on my door. I frantically looked around, then whispered to Sariel, "Alright, I'm gonna need you to shut up and stay out of sight for me, okay? My…. my-"

"Girlfriend?"

"No, not my girlfrie- well, actually, I don't know. But we go back a ways, alright? Don't screw this up. CAn you get out of my body for just five minutes and let me talk to her?"

"I dunno, you know how unstable my unbound soul is…" Sariel said, almost mockingly.

I grumbled in frustration, "What about the 'vessel' or whatever I saw in the dream? The one you were in?"

"Oh, right, that! I could use it for a little bit. It's pretty fragile though…"

"So don't break anything. Including yourself." It'd be nice having Sariel separate from me for a while, but was it possible for me to keep her from coming back in? Probably not, considering I was powerless in comparison to her.

"Val, uh, good to see you." I greeted her a little uneasily. How would she react to the way I looked now?

"...did you lose weight?" she asked, looking up at me.

I slapped the palm of my hand against my forehead, "Oh, come on Val… of all the things different about me, _that's_ what you notice first?"

Valerie playfully elbowed me in the side, "C'mon, Markus, I'm just messing with you. I was _expecting_ you to look kinda like… this."

I rolled my eyes, "Well, now that you mention it, I probably have dropped a few pounds from stress. Ha… haha…"

"Alright, now tell me about this uninvited guest you have here. I know you're in trouble here; Elena made that pretty obvious."

I sat down, leaning forward, "Okay, I… I'm…. I'm technically possessed. And I think in, um, three days, something bad is gonna happen. Like, really bad. I have no idea how to stop it, or how the hell to get this thing to leave me alone."

Valerie stared at me, dumbfounded, for a minute. "Umm…. I'm sorry, what? No offense, but that sounds…. Really far fetched, Markus."

"I think the stress is starting to get to his head…" _Sariel…_ I should've known better than to trust her to stay out of my way. She at least looked non-threatening enough...

Valerie jumped a little, startled at Sariel's sudden appearance in the room. "Are you… are you the 'guest' Markus was telling me about…?" Sariel nodded, holding one of my pillows against her, almost like a shield.

 _Don't be fooled, Val…_ I thought, _She may be an angel, but she's far from kind…_

"Correct. Mister Markus Vaughn was _kind_ enough to give me a place to stay. You see, I have nowhere else to go…"

Valerie narrowed her eyes, slowly reaching for the phone, "Are you… Did you run away from your parents?"

Sariel managed to keep a completely straight face, "No. My parents are not a matter that we need to discuss." _Because she never really had any to begin with- unless you count her 'creator' as one…_

"How… How old are you…?" She didn't let her guard down; that was the same Val I knew and- ahem- _liked._

Sariel blinked, not showing any expression at all, "Why is that important? You already concluded that I'm a child, why is my exact age a concern?"

Valerie looked at me, more than a little weirded out, "Well, either way, she speaks really… odd for a kid. I can't even think of any adults that talk like that, let alone a little kid."

"I'm _not_ a little kid," Sariel protested, actually starting to sound like one. "I'm… twenty. I'm twenty years old."

Valerie glared at her, "That's not exactly a child…"

Sariel shrugged, "Well, as a doctor you should know that the human brain isn't fully mature until twenty-five years of age." _You smug little-_

She sighed, "Anyway… Markus told me that these…" she waved her hand in my direction, "changes… started happening after you showed up. Can you explain?"

Sariel shrugged, feigning innocence so well, no 'tell' visible at all, assuming she had one in the first place, "I dunno, maybe he did it to look like me!"

"Well, considering these changes weren't willing-" I tried to interrupt.

"I'm talking here," Sariel hissed. " _Respect. Your. Elders."_

"But you just said you were twenty-" how was Valerie not noticing any of this? Why?

Sariel cleared her throat, putting up an innocent front once more, "You should really leave, Miss Valerie. He's gotten really weak from stress, so you should let him rest… _alone."_

Valerie's eyes glazed over; whether it was from fear, shock, or if it was Sariel's doing. After all she had done so far, mind control and hypnosis wouldn't be that much of a stretch.

She left. Never said a word after that hissing, vague threat from Sariel. Although Sariel hadn't said it aloud, I could _see_ what she _really_ wanted to say… The look in her eyes was a dead giveaway.

" _Leave now, and don't ever come back. If I see you again, it will be for the last time."_

My chest was tight. I could hardly breathe, but I also felt strangely… numb inside. I was trapped. There was nothing I could do to stop Sariel, was there…? I hated this sense of helplessness. For so long I felt that I was powerful enough, _strong_ enough to save others. But now? I doubted that I could save myself.

It took me a few minutes to realize that Sariel was talking to me. Not yelling, but I could feel the tension in her muffled voice; I hadn't registered what she was saying, but I had a feeling it was another threat.

"I let you off easy the first time you got someone else involved… Now, I'm going to make sure that you'll keep this a secret…" Sariel said in a deep, smooth, almost intoxicating voice. For a second, I let down my guard and looked into her endless red eyes.

" _Three!"_

Another mistake on my part.

The pain hit me like a freight train, knocking me out almost instantly. But… it didn't stop. I still felt every bit of it, that horrible feeling like I was being torn apart from the inside out… But deep down, I knew it was going to get much, much worse from here…


	9. Two

I couldn't move. Well, physically speaking I could at the very least shift my position lying down. But no matter how much I willed it, I just couldn't muster up the motivation to move from where I was laying. What reason was there? Going to work would put everyone at risk, should Sariel take control again. Honestly, it wasn't the first time something like this had happened to me before, this was just the first time an outside force was keeping me here.

I tried thinking of something- _anything-_ to get my mind off of my predicament, but it felt like my thoughts were all static, like a TV with a busted receiver or something. I counted the tiny cracks and spots on my bedroom ceiling, picked at the individual threads of my sheets, just trying to numb my mind.

Sariel really didn't bother me much, if at all. Even if she did, I didn't even notice anything. Didn't want to waste any unnecessary energy.

"There… really isn't anything I can do… is there?" I whispered to myself, having given up at this point. All I could really do was completely isolate myself and hope and pray to anything that would listen that everyone would be alright once the countdown reached zero…

That's when it hit me.

I can't believe I hadn't thought of this earlier…

I had a strong feeling it was that one thought… that one idea that I couldn't quite reach…

...just sitting there at the back of my mind…

…..waiting for me to realize it….

I could end this once and for all…..

Nobody would have to die…..

Almost nobody…..

"Two…" I muttered, a cheshire grin creeping across my face.


	10. One

It felt weird, just acting like everything was normal. I actually got semi-clean after waking up at a decent time, shaved, trimmed my hair up a little bit…

White hair be damned; I'd just use the excuse of losing a dare or something like that. Same with the red eyes; color contacts were getting pretty popular among today's youth.

Naturally, I got a lot of stares at work. Both from being gone for over a week and the fact that I looked like a complete and utter circus-grade freak (and that wasn't even with the wings- I had tucked them into my undershirt). I'll have to admit, getting that sort of attention was kinda nice.

Today would be 'one,' keeping track of the countdown. The last day before everything would go to hell. Tomorrow, I had to act. No procrastination. No putting it off. Last chance to save the world- cheesy as it sounded. But… it was unfortunately true.

"Well, someone's in a good mood today…" I got those sort of statements a lot. After so many months- almost a year actually- of my seemingly perpetual gloomy demeanor, I actually looked outwardly happy and content. I mean, I kinda was, but at the same time, it was just a front.

No one, not even Sariel, had any idea of what I was about to do… in less than 24 hours, I'd go through with my plan.

I decided to talk with Val and Elena. Valerie wasn't phased by my 'alternate' appearance, but Elena nearly dropped to the floor out of shock. Last time we actually met in person was before this whole mess even began.

After making small chit-chat, I… dropped a few hints that Sariel was still here.

"A guest?" Valerie seemed… oddly confused, "You never told me anything about a guest… I thought you said you didn't have guests at your house very often."

"Nightmares? Doctor, it isn't about…. You-Know-What, is it? It's gone now, remember? We eradicated it almost a year ago."

Neither had any clue what I was talking about… they didn't forget, did they? Or… was this Sariel's doing? After the way she made Valerie leave so suddenly, I wouldn't be too shocked if she altered their memories to make them 'forget' anything I had told them about this all.

Oh well, it was better this way… I didn't want them or anyone else to be burdened by this nightmare any longer.

I wondered if Naomi's memory was altered any at all. After all, she had also spoken directly to Sariel through a phone call. Did she still remember that? Either way, I doubt she would be too bothered; after all the hells she had seen, this would have to be tame. Of course, she got dragged in when this was still in its early stages. I'm not sure how she would react now…

What was really bothering me was the fact that Sariel hadn't spoken at all today. Maybe she didn't want to when other people were around… Might as well chat with her for a little bit… Just to see what she was up to…

Finally, alone in my office, she spoke.

"What the hell has gotten into you, Markus Vaughn? You spent all day yesterday moping around in bed, then _you_ were the one to continue counting down… All without any pain… Perhaps you're getting used to it?"

I kicked my feet up on my desk, leaning back in my office chair, "Not sure why I didn't feel anything that time around, Sari. Maybe I am getting used to it… I figured I'd kinda cut loose before this whole 'end-of-the-world' plan of yours kicks into action…"

"I'm not even going to ask what's with the god-awful nickname. But… it's something else. I know it is."

"Like I'd tell you," I snorted, leaning my head back. "You're wiser than I am- figure it out yourself."

Sariel sighed, "Despite the millenia I've been in existence, I can't read other people's minds. I can't even read what other people are feeling properly. At least give me a hint?"

"Nope. Sorry. Not how it works," I snickered.

My brow unconsciously furrowed in frustration, "Jackass."

I couldn't help but chuckle a little bit, "Hey now, where'd you learn that kinda language, kiddo?"

"Like I said, when you've been around for thousands of years, you pick up some foul language here and there."

"Oh yeah, by the way, what would today be?" I started to lead her on.

"...I'm not sure what you mean."

"Y'know, aren't you supposed to say the numbers?"

Despite sharing a 'voice' in the moment, we both spoke at the same time….

" _One….!"_


	11. Zero

I woke up at an ungodly hour this morning… Well, technically it was still nighttime. I looked at the clock on my nightstand: 1:37 A.M. I doubt many people would be up at this hour, let alone walking around downtown. That was good; I didn't want to run into anyone I knew. Not now…

There wasn't really anything I needed to take with me. Not my phone, not my keys, not even a pair of shoes. The only thing I wore other than some old sweatpants and a t-shirt was my labcoat. It was chilly out this time of night and I didn't want to ruin my good winter coat.

"What's the big deal, Markus Vaughn?" Sariel asked me as I headed out the door of my apartment.

I shrugged, "Just needed to take a walk. Clear my head, help me sleep. Doubt you'd understand."

"You'd be surprised what I understand…" Sariel hissed, gripping onto the rail of a fence. I focused all of my willpower, taking back control of every part of my body. Sariel wasn't going to get in the way this time around… Not now…. _Not ever again…_

The cold, wet pavement felt… nice under my bare feet. I had always liked walking around barefoot when I was little, until I stepped on a sea urchin that is.

Oh well, even if my feet did hit something in the water, I doubt it'd be anything sharp enough to hurt me. But, in the end, any injuries wouldn't matter… Nothing would matter after tonight…

"Markus Vaughn, this is very unusual behavior, even for a mortal like you," Sariel mumbled. "What are you planning to do?"

"Oh," I chuckled, "You'll see…. Soon enough…." I couldn't believe I was doing this. It seemed so insane for me to think of this solution, but… I was out of ideas and out of time…

If I wanted to prevent Sariel using me for mass destruction, I _had_ to do this… No backing out now.

The bridge was peaceful this time of night… Not many cars passing over the river. I wondered how cold the water was… I was always used to swimming in warmer waters; well, I wouldn't exactly be swimming…

I leaned over the railing, basking in the chilly breeze for a while. This was all so…. Surreal… It took a moment for it to sink in that after this… I wouldn't be able to go back home. I wouldn't be able to go back to work. I'd never see any of my friends or my family again.

I sighed, gripping the railing tightly. If it meant that they would get to live their lives… then I would do it.

I lifted my leg up over the fence separating the safety of the sidewalk from the barely-three-inch ledge that marked the edge of the bridge.

"What are you doing?!"

My toes touched down on the narrow ledge as I lifted my other leg over, keeping a tight grip on the rails.

"Oh my god… are you..?!"

I took a deep breath, my hands starting to tremble from nervousness and fatigue. Was there a point in looking down? After all, I knew what was down below. I knew what would happen once I reached the bottom.

"Oh god oh god oh god…!"

I'm not sure whose voice was talking… or maybe it was both of us…? We were both scared, but for vastly different reasons… Yet at the same time our reasons weren't that different.

I thought back to that night, how long ago it seemed… How I made a silent promise to myself… to everyone I loved and cared about… That I would never do that again…

Yet here I was, right about to break that promise… They wouldn't know, because I never told them about it in the first place… but part of me hoped that I would still be forgiven for what I was about to do…

"Oh my god… Markus Vaughn do you realize what you're doing?!" Sariel choked out, her voice wavering and weak, starting to sound more like herself than me. "If you fall _that_ far into water _that_ deep… and _that_ cold…."

"Y-You're going to die... You realize that, don't you?!"

I closed my eyes, feeling moisture slide down my cheeks.

"Then death…"

"will take you with me…"

….I jumped…...


End file.
